Kirby Squeak Squad

Posted: 01/10/07

Kirby, the original fighting creampuff is back in what is, technically, an all-new adventure. Kirby's second outing on the Nintendo DS is a far cry from the innovative Canvas Curse, returning the series to its most basic platforming roots. Unlike previous games starring the pink puff ball, though, Kirby Squeak Squad lacks the compelling hook and execution that the series is built on.

The Kirby games have never really had stories, and this one's no exception--Kirby's cake is stolen by a group of nefarious mice, the squeaks. With nothing but time on his hands, Kirby pursues the squeaks to retrieve the confection, and, naturally, stumbles upon a larger plot, chasing the cake-nappers through 50 different stages. Maybe someday Nintendo will see fit to put worthwhile stories in games like this, but apparently the time isn’t now.

Squeak Squad is classic Kirby--tons of colorful platforming levels, lots of powers to absorb and clever bosses. As always, Kirby can suck in enemies and objects and cough them back up and use his hair balls as projectiles. He can also float, as well as absorb the abilities of certain enemies he swallows. There are over 25 abilities to steal, all of which can be upgraded throughout the course of the game by scrolls found on your adventure.

The game itself plays out on the top screen and is controlled with the good, old D-pad and buttons, while the bottom screen reveals the contents of Kirby's stomach. Throughout the game, Kirby will find items and powers trapped inside bubbles, which will appear on the bottom screen. Tapping one of the bubbles allows Kirby to digest it, granting him the power inside or eating the healing item. Bubbles can also be combined, creating more powerful healing items and different powers.

Most Kirby games have some sort of overarching collectible meta-quest, and this time it's treasure. Every level contains a up to three treasures, one of which is more important than the other. Once you find the big treasure, one of the squeaks will appear to try to take it back from you and escape with it, in sequences that are a little like races and a little like boss battles. The treasures themselves are unlockables for you, the player, ranging from power and health upgrades to recolor Kirby.

Squeak Squad is a solid and well-executed game, with great 2D graphics and animation, but its biggest weakness is that it's too familiar. Compared to the stylus-driven brilliance of Canvas Curse and even the moderately successful attempt to make Kirby more like Metroid in The Amazing Mirror, Squeak Squad feels flat, and lacks a compelling hook. There's no depth to the second screen's item mixing mechanic, if it can even be called that, and being able to store healing items and powers makes an already easy game even easier, leaving the player just going through the motions.

The levels lack the cleverness of previous installments, and while finding and collecting all of the treasures can be challenging, it just feels like a way to milk the game for more play time. Even then, the game is short, and many players will be able to complete it and find all the treasures in a matter of hours. In this sense, it’s a great game for the kids.

Kirby: Squeak Squad is by no means a bad game, there are just better platformers, and even better Kirby games, on the DS. Virtually every Kirby game since the original has had some kind of feature to add some depth, but there’s nothing like that here. Without that hook, Squeak Squad is a gussied-up throwback to the original NES game, that just doesn’t hold up today, but should be a hit with the little ones.

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